Serene times ... (from left) farmers load watermelons; an abandoned building at Bokor Hill Station; fishermen at Kampot. Photo: Lonely Planet Images, AFPJuly 5, 2009
The Age (Australia)
Kampot's colonial beauty may have paled but its inhabitants are worth meeting, writes Don Townshend.
The moment we walked onto the patio for breakfast a waiting tuk-tuk driver waved and called: "You want go to Kep, sir, I give very good price. I waiting for you, sir?"
Like most travellers to picturesque Kampot, south-east of Phnom Penh, we intended to visit the seaside town of Kep, renowned for fine seafood and pepper crab. The pepper is locally grown. I asked the hotel waiter how much we should pay by tuk-tuk. Maybe $US15 ($18.60), he said, depending on how we bargained. Negotiations began immediately after breakfast. The tuk-tuk driver introduced himself as Wadi, and gave us a special price of $US40 to go to Kep, have lunch and come back.
I scoffed. He grinned. We negotiated. Ten minutes later I offered $US14 or no deal. He looked dejected but he accepted. My wife looked equally unhappy. "I hope you feel proud of yourself," she muttered. "Look how thin the poor boy is."
"But he tried to screw us," I protested.
"Scrooge," she snorted.
Soon we were heading away from the wide river, which flows through Kampot and is backdropped by the undulating Elephant Mountains. Once studded with stylish French-colonial mansions, Kampot incurred severe damage during the reign of Pol Pot and has remained rather dilapidated ever since. Fortunately, recent growth in regional tourism is pumping lifeblood back into the town.
During the French era Kampot flourished as a base for excursions to the now-derelict Bokor Hill Station, a once-glamorous mountain retreat comprising hotels, a casino, church and lavish residences. Located atop 1000-metre-high Bokor Mountain, it was built in the 1920s and became an exotic playground for French expats and the Cambodian elite.
Largely abandoned after World War II and later plundered by Pol Pot, it's now undergoing massive redevelopment. Lamentably, our plans to ascend the dicey road to the mountain-top were dashed by rain and landslides.
But reaching Kep was no problem. The road provided a serene window into rural Cambodia: abundant rice fields dotted by toiling workers and buffaloes chomping on succulent growth. Along the roadside, children waving nets trolled for fish in freshly swollen streams. It looked idyllic but we knew it wasn't, as many rural Cambodians live on less than one Australian dollar a day.
We stopped on the outskirts of Kep where Wadi pointed to a row of elegant street lamps. They used to illuminate the entrance to this once-ritzy seaside resort. Now they looked curiously out of place. Kep was once a beautiful town, explained Wadi, until Pol Pot smashed everything.
Although littered with decaying colonial buildings, Kep is pleasantly agreeable. Tiny and laid-back, it has exuberant jungle and superb vistas across the water.
By the time we reached the open-air crab market, it had shrunk to about a dozen women trying to flog small crabs lying exhausted in a couple of buckets. Even when the containers were shaken the crabs barely moved. In fact, they looked like they needed CPR.
We left the crabs and walked over to Wadi, who was parked beside a row of seafood shack-cum-restaurants. He was chatting to a girl who was barbecuing huge prawns. "My friend has beautiful pepper crab for you," said Wadi. "Go with her."
As we followed the girl into the simple eatery, my wife suddenly propped and said: "How can we stuff ourselves with seafood while that poor kid's out there with nothing?"
So Wadi joined us . After examining the menu, my wife ordered barbecued squid and I opted for king prawns. We shared a beer. Wadi was surprised. "Not eat pepper crab?" he said. "Maybe next time," lied my wife. She motioned to Wadi's menu. "What would you like?"
Unhesitatingly, Wadi ordered a large dish of pepper crabs for two the most expensive item on the menu at $US12 and a large bottle of beer. His order topped the cost of both our dishes. "Thank you, sir and madam," he said.
I fancied I detected a fleeting grin on his face. A hint of payback perhaps? Or was I oversensitive? I glanced at madam who was struggling to contain her laughter. "Even Steven, mate," she said.
TRIP NOTES
- GETTING THERE Daily buses from Phnom Penh to Kampot and Kep take about four hours and cost $8.
- STAYING THERE In Kampot, the moderately priced, Kiwi-owned Bokor Mountain Lodge is a renovated old French villa ideally sited on the river. Double rooms with river views start about $75. See bokorlodge.com. Kep has a variety of accommodation, ranging from basic guesthouses to stylish retreats costing up to $190.
- TOURING THERE Weather permitting, you can book tours from the lodge to Bokor Hill Station. For tuk-tuk excursions to Kep, drivers are ever-present outside the lodge.
- FURTHER INFORMATION For more details on all travel and accommodation options in Cambodia, see canbypublications.com.
The moment we walked onto the patio for breakfast a waiting tuk-tuk driver waved and called: "You want go to Kep, sir, I give very good price. I waiting for you, sir?"
Like most travellers to picturesque Kampot, south-east of Phnom Penh, we intended to visit the seaside town of Kep, renowned for fine seafood and pepper crab. The pepper is locally grown. I asked the hotel waiter how much we should pay by tuk-tuk. Maybe $US15 ($18.60), he said, depending on how we bargained. Negotiations began immediately after breakfast. The tuk-tuk driver introduced himself as Wadi, and gave us a special price of $US40 to go to Kep, have lunch and come back.
I scoffed. He grinned. We negotiated. Ten minutes later I offered $US14 or no deal. He looked dejected but he accepted. My wife looked equally unhappy. "I hope you feel proud of yourself," she muttered. "Look how thin the poor boy is."
"But he tried to screw us," I protested.
"Scrooge," she snorted.
Soon we were heading away from the wide river, which flows through Kampot and is backdropped by the undulating Elephant Mountains. Once studded with stylish French-colonial mansions, Kampot incurred severe damage during the reign of Pol Pot and has remained rather dilapidated ever since. Fortunately, recent growth in regional tourism is pumping lifeblood back into the town.
During the French era Kampot flourished as a base for excursions to the now-derelict Bokor Hill Station, a once-glamorous mountain retreat comprising hotels, a casino, church and lavish residences. Located atop 1000-metre-high Bokor Mountain, it was built in the 1920s and became an exotic playground for French expats and the Cambodian elite.
Largely abandoned after World War II and later plundered by Pol Pot, it's now undergoing massive redevelopment. Lamentably, our plans to ascend the dicey road to the mountain-top were dashed by rain and landslides.
But reaching Kep was no problem. The road provided a serene window into rural Cambodia: abundant rice fields dotted by toiling workers and buffaloes chomping on succulent growth. Along the roadside, children waving nets trolled for fish in freshly swollen streams. It looked idyllic but we knew it wasn't, as many rural Cambodians live on less than one Australian dollar a day.
We stopped on the outskirts of Kep where Wadi pointed to a row of elegant street lamps. They used to illuminate the entrance to this once-ritzy seaside resort. Now they looked curiously out of place. Kep was once a beautiful town, explained Wadi, until Pol Pot smashed everything.
Although littered with decaying colonial buildings, Kep is pleasantly agreeable. Tiny and laid-back, it has exuberant jungle and superb vistas across the water.
By the time we reached the open-air crab market, it had shrunk to about a dozen women trying to flog small crabs lying exhausted in a couple of buckets. Even when the containers were shaken the crabs barely moved. In fact, they looked like they needed CPR.
We left the crabs and walked over to Wadi, who was parked beside a row of seafood shack-cum-restaurants. He was chatting to a girl who was barbecuing huge prawns. "My friend has beautiful pepper crab for you," said Wadi. "Go with her."
As we followed the girl into the simple eatery, my wife suddenly propped and said: "How can we stuff ourselves with seafood while that poor kid's out there with nothing?"
So Wadi joined us . After examining the menu, my wife ordered barbecued squid and I opted for king prawns. We shared a beer. Wadi was surprised. "Not eat pepper crab?" he said. "Maybe next time," lied my wife. She motioned to Wadi's menu. "What would you like?"
Unhesitatingly, Wadi ordered a large dish of pepper crabs for two the most expensive item on the menu at $US12 and a large bottle of beer. His order topped the cost of both our dishes. "Thank you, sir and madam," he said.
I fancied I detected a fleeting grin on his face. A hint of payback perhaps? Or was I oversensitive? I glanced at madam who was struggling to contain her laughter. "Even Steven, mate," she said.
TRIP NOTES
- GETTING THERE Daily buses from Phnom Penh to Kampot and Kep take about four hours and cost $8.
- STAYING THERE In Kampot, the moderately priced, Kiwi-owned Bokor Mountain Lodge is a renovated old French villa ideally sited on the river. Double rooms with river views start about $75. See bokorlodge.com. Kep has a variety of accommodation, ranging from basic guesthouses to stylish retreats costing up to $190.
- TOURING THERE Weather permitting, you can book tours from the lodge to Bokor Hill Station. For tuk-tuk excursions to Kep, drivers are ever-present outside the lodge.
- FURTHER INFORMATION For more details on all travel and accommodation options in Cambodia, see canbypublications.com.
3 comments:
អា ភីភីយូ (PPU) មកបៀម ក្ដ ឪអាឯងលេងភ្លាម
មក អាកូនមីសំផឹងយួនអស់សាច់!
ឪអាភីភីយូ(PPU)
A fool and his money are soon parted.
i hope they are renovating the old bokor palace hotel and build more new ones as well. god bless cambodia with developments.
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